Rutgers announces $10 per ticket increase for football games

Aristide Economopoulos/The Star-LedgerRutgers athletic director Tim Pernetti says the ticket hike will generate an additional $2.8 million for the school.

Rutgers fans are going to have to dig a little deeper into their wallets to see their favorite college football team this fall.

New athletic director Tim Pernetti sent out a notice to season ticket holders Monday announcing a $10 increase per ticket per game -- a move aimed at defraying some of the cost of the $102 million Rutgers Stadium expansion project that is on schedule to be ready for the opener against Cincinnati on Sept. 5.

For a family of four, that's $40 more per game for tickets and an increase of $280 for the season package of seven home games.

The ticket hike will generate approximately $400,000 per game more for Rutgers and an additional $2.8 million this season, according to Pernetti. His projections are based on 40,000 season tickets in a stadium that will hold 54,000 when the expansion is completed.

"It's all about the things I said in the letter I sent out. There's no other agenda," said Pernetti, who officially takes over as athletic director on April 1. "We need to grow revenues and we need to do it responsibly. It's still a very affordable ticket to a Division 1 program in a major market. I think our fans understand that."

The initial reaction from a sampling of fans is that -- despite the tough economic times -- the increase is something they can live with.

Rutgers is financing the entire expansion project through bonds after originally hoping to raise $30 million. But those efforts, now stalled, barely made a dent toward that goal.

The expansion project will add 11,500 seats in the south end zone.

"I don't have a problem with it -- and I've been out of work for seven or eight months," said Joe Wallace of Hoboken, who has six season tickets.

Wallace's end zone seats cost $30 per game last season. With the $10 increase his season ticket package will rise from $1,260 to $1,680.

"Compared to what it costs to go to most sporting events in this area, it's still reasonable," he said.

Those were the sentiments of several fans reached Monday night.

"No, it's not an issue for me. It's still one of the best values for entertainment that you can find," said Alan Fendrick of Rumson, who has four season tickets. "I'm a huge Rutgers fan. I love college sports. Look at what it costs to go to an NFL game or an NBA game compared to a Rutgers game. There's really no comparison.

"That doesn't mean there's an unlimited blank check. But where else can you spend an entire day with family and friends and go to a game for $50 a ticket (Fendrick's seats were $40 each last season)?"

Pernetti said he was hopeful Rutgers fans would understand the need for the increase -- since they're largely the reason the stadium is expanding. The school has a season ticket waiting list of approximately 12,000.

"I think our fans are very committed to football, especially given the success we've had the past four or five years," he said. "Our fans are smart. They understand why we needed to expand the stadium. It's because more of them want to be in the stadium on game day. So we're hoping they'll understand why we did this. I think they will."

David Kostus, an attorney from Lodi, said he won't hesitate to pay more for his four season tickets because he still considers a Rutgers game to be a great value.

"Look at the seat licensing they're doing with the Jets and Giants and Yankees and Mets. To me, $10 more a ticket isn't much," he said. "A college football game is an all-day event and at Rutgers it's still reasonable."

Kevin Hill, a health insurance consultant from Rumson, has 16 season tickets -- including six club seats. He has to pay $2,500 just to be able to buy each club seat.

He said he still considers a Rutgers football game "a tremendous value."

"Regardless of your socio-economic class and how you're affected by the economy, everyone spends a certain amount of money every year on entertainment," he said. "You have to ask yourself, even with the $10 increase, 'Is this the best value for your entertainment?' I think it is."

"I'm sure people will complain. But I don't think it will have an impact on season tickets. There are a lot of people waiting to get them."